Railway-vehicle life-guard.



RAILWAY VEHICLE LIFE GUARD.

' (Application filed June 15, 1901.)

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YNE Npimfs PETERSIQ. PnaToLIfHO" WAsHINOTON. u, c.

UNITED ST TES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE KIRBY, OF KIRKDALE, LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.

RAILWAY-VEHICLE LIFE-GUARD.

I SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 690,738, dated January 7, 1902;

Application filed-June 15, 1901. Serial No. 64,711. (N6 model.')

To aZZ whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, GEORGE KIRBY, a subject of the King of England, and a resident of Kirkdale, Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railway-Vehicle Life- Guards, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to guards used on the front or end or ends of electricallyv driven and other vehicles or locomotives for preventing people being run over when knocked down or falling in a street, road, or other railway-track; and it has for its object and effect to provide improvements in connection with life-guards by which not only will a person not be run over or killed under such conditions, but will not be seriously hurt or injured by the guard itself.

The invention is illustrated in the d rawings hereto annexed, in which- 7 Figure l is a side elevation of the appara-, tus, and Fig. 2 is a plan of the apparatus viewed from below. I According to thisinvention one part ofthe guard apparatusis adapted to catch or pick up a fallen person, and this part is movable in relation to the horizontal plane, the movement being effected by an actuating device disposed in front or advance of itthe pickup part-and which,therefore, first strikes the body, and this latter device is adapted to be raised as it comes in contact with the body and the movement so obtained transmitted to the pick-up or catcher or guard proper, so as to lower it onto or near the ground. Normally the actuating portion will lie comparatively near the ground and is inclined from the rear part to the front parts in an upward direction to provide such an incline above as will cause it to be raised with little pressure when striking the body, so as to avoid hurting itthat is to say, the incline is such that it will easily and quickly ride up over the body on small pressure being applied to it. In one arrangement the automatic actuating part-that is, the part which comes in contact with the bodymay consist conveniently of a light metallic or other light material inclined as described and carried on the end of a lever of the first order supplied from the vehicle or locomotive, and the opposite end of this lever operates the pick up part or guard proper, which according to one arrangement is lowered at its leading end and in some cases also simultaneously raised at the back end, the movement it receives being such that the leading end will in all cases when actd ated come onto or very close to the road-sun face. It may in some cases be provided with rollers or slides, which come in contact with the road.

Referring now to the drawings, the automatic operating device shown consists ofa light inclined plate a, carried on the bifurcated ends 17 of two levers b, one on each side of the vehicle-body w, these levers being supported by brackets c on the car through hinge-fulcra 19 The inclined plate a is also supported in the case shown in the center by a central strut b fixed on the cross-bar I), carried by the two levers b.

The pick-u p or guard frame is designated 61 and consists of a rectangular frame of bars or tubes with wire or other suitable material within it and supported byit. This frame is supported at the back edge by hinges d from a second movable frame e, the side members of which are supported on fulcra e in the brackets c, fixed on the vehicle. The forward end of the frame d is supported and its position controlled by a lever f at each side, the forward end of each of which has a loop or eyej fitting over and adapted to slide on the frame-bar 02, while the other end is fixed by a pin f in a link h, which is supported from the car by a lever i at each side, connecting together the upper ends of the links it and the back ends of the levers b by pins 1" t and carried from the vehicle by brackets 70 and fulcra-pins 70', while the side levers f are also supported in their centers by pins f fixed in the bracket 0, the holes in the levers f through which the pins f pass having inclined slots f These slots are provided in order to allow 1e.- vers f to move in relation to the brackets cand take the position shown in dotted lines. In the drawings the lower ends of the brackets c are further supported from the vehicle by horn-bars Z, carried from the cross-bar m on it.

The brackets c k may be of double iron or steel bars, as shown by the drawings, the upper ends being flanged, as shown, and fixed on the under side of the vehicle or locomotive body or frame, and the levers b if, as well as the links h and frame e, may be of simple iron or steel bars. The fnlcra and hinges specified may consist of bolts and nuts, as shown, with a thimble fitting over the bolts in the holes in the bars and levers through which they pass, so as to serve as distance-pieces and to enable the bol' s to be drawn tightly up without nipping the bars, and joints should be quite free.

The normal position of the parts is that shown in the full lines in the drawings, While the position of actuation is that shown in dotted lines. In action when the inclined plate (1 comes in contact with a body it rides up over it and lifts the lever 17, and this movement actuates the pick-up frame or guard d that is, lowers its front end into the position shown in dotted linesthrough the levers 1', links it, leversf, and frame e, and slightly before the leading edge of the frame d will have reached the body the frame a will have moved its maximum point, as the back and lower portion is disposed just in front of or in about the same vertical plane as the leading edge of the frame cl; but in no case will the plate a leave the body until itis caught by the frame (1.

What is claimed in respect of the hereindescribed invention is- 1. A vehicle or locomotive life-guard, comprising levers I) having an inclined front end 1 a, fnlcra 12 a pickup frame cl hinged at a point behind its leading end, and leversfsupporting the front end of said frame, and connected with the back portion of the levers I) through levers '6, whereby when the forward ends of the levers b are raised, the forward ends of the supporting-leversf and the frame cl are lowered; substantially as described.

2. In a vehicle or locomotive life-guard, the combination of pick-up frame (1, frame 6, hinges d, connecting frame 6 and pick-up frame (1, supporting-brackets c, and hinges e connecting the brackets and frame 6, and means for lowering and raising the said frame e.

3. In a railway vehicle or locomotive lifeguard, the combination with a pick-up frame d, frame 6, hinges d connecting the frame a and pick-n p d, brackets c, and hinges a connecting brackets c and frame (2, leversf supporting the front end of the pick-up d, and supported by brackets c, by hinges f and slots f and links h connecting the back ends of said levers f, and frame e together; substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE KIRBY.

Witnesses:

JNo. W. BROWN, Gno. E. GODDING. 

